20 March 2025 — The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) welcomes yesterday’s publication of the Policing Authority’s review of public order policing.
The report, which was submitted to the Minister for Justice over seven months ago, finds that An Garda Síochána has implemented fewer than half of the recommendations from a 2019 Garda Síochána Inspectorate report on the same subject.
There is a striking discrepancy in the report between An Garda Síochána’s assessment of progress and that of the Policing Authority. Whereas An Garda Síochána reported having implemented 11 of the 201 recommendations, the Policing Authority found that only three had been fully implemented, with five not implemented at all. This stark difference in assessment demonstrates the importance of independent oversight of An Garda Síochána and the Policing Authority’s role.
Having consulted with public order gardaí and the Legal Section of An Garda Síochána, the report echoes the position of ICCL on many pieces of proposed new legislation. It finds that the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 is “sufficient to provide for an appropriate policing response that can keep people safe while vindicating human rights”. We also welcome the Authority’s concerns about proposals to legislate to require individuals who have breached the Act to remove face coverings.
Importantly, the report finds that the public narrative that gardaí are reluctant to use force because of fear of a complaint to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) does not reflect the experience of public order gardaí.
Robust and independent oversight of policing is essential to protect the human rights of everyone in Ireland. Oversight should not be used as a scapegoat and we must challenge any attempts to do so.
ENDS
For media queries: Ruth McCourt ruth.mccourt@iccl.ie / 087 415 7162
1 The 2019 Garda Síochána Inspectorate review made 19 recommendations, but one had two parts (4a and 4b). In assessing the implementation of these recommendations, the Policing Authority in its review counted these separately, totalling 20 recommendations.